Repair element for fibrous conduits



March 12, "1929 H, P KE 1,704,760

REPAIR ELEMENT FOR FIBROUS CONDUITS Filed July 14, 1925 Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD PARKER, OE BERLIN, NEVT HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO BROWN COMPANY, OF BERLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

REPAIR ELEMENT FOR FIBROUS CONDUITS.

Application filed July 14, 1925.

This invention relates to repair elements or members for cond nits and is more particularly concerned with members made of fibrous material and adapted tor use in c nnection with cylindrical conduits made of the same material.

Such conduits or tubes may be termed by winding a web of cellulose puip or a sheet of paper on a mandrel until a tube havhu); a nail in ot the desired thickness has been termed. theu removing the tube trom the mandrci and thoroughly drying it. \l'hen used as a conduit or closure for electric wiring or as a water pipe, the tube may be waterproofed and 5 rendered electro-insulati 51hr impregnating or saturating it with pitch or ther suitable material.

When such conduit are employed in practice as; in electric wiring systen'is. it t: eipientl;

to occurs that a conduit is broken at some point in the system. Since such systems are usuaily buried in the ground or located in tiied trench, it would ordinarily be necessary to disconnect and remove the broken eon zluit unit from the system and replace the remongd conduit by a new one Such procedure is obviously time consuming and expensive.

Hence the primary object ot' the present invention is to provide a repair element which :10 may be employed in repairing a broken tibrous conduit in an etlicient manner and with uoiicn out the necessity for the removal oi t conduit from the system.

This obje t is attainei'l in a repair which may o ci'ihi'cniiluc of dwicjn: termed a snap repair eie nentf 'ihw in general consist of a longitudinal cyiin cal conduit section. of an inside d anr equal to the out ide diameter oi :ue cur to be repaired, over which it mas, be snapped at its broken portion.

On the aecon1panyin; drawings, wl i nether with the following: description give a more complete understanding of the prevent. invention.

Figure 1 illustrates in perspective a repair element or member snapped over the wall of a broken conduit.

l ip'ure 2 represents a section along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings. 1 illustrates a conduit ot indefinite length having a break therein. illustrated by the ragged hole at In repairing: the break. molten asphalt, cement, or other suitable binder is applied to Serial No. 43,600.

the outer surface of the wall adjacent to or neighboring the break, and a. repair member represented at 3 and preferablv also coated on its inner ."ilfz tt. with binder material is snapped or forced over the broken conduit. Binder may also be applied at the ethics of the repair member or entirel around the ciuniuit to eaten-e a perfect moisture proof seat atter the setting thcreoi.

The member 3. as ehown. consists of a lon 'itudinal conduit section. the arc of a traiis- Verse section of which is more than ltitl and the inside diameter ot which equal to the outside diameter or the conduit nnd rg'oin repair. By the use of such constriiction. T have discovered that the repair member max be forced o'rer the broken conduit so that bowed or converging extremities embrace the conduit and ensure the union therein-tween without the use ot other uniting; means :-.!('l. as wires or straps. The I'tlidlii may he made, withou the necc ty tor the domino-:- Lieu ot the broken ronduit from the s'i'stem. and the repair member or element tigi tlv and chictircly seals the wall of the conduit.

Members formed of fibrous materia herein described are rigid, and water" desired. and possess a certain mode 0 r but w thout lieznq' pcrmanentli det'urnn-d or Haring thus it iilicd an e nbznliinent ot the: intention ft st :ltl be evident that it is eapabie ot various matures and nunliiications \rihont departini: from its spirit s detined in; heapp ndedclaims i What i ciaim is:

l. tibrous repair element tor use in connection with a cylindrical conduit of like tibrons material. which comprises a sectiol'i of conduit ot c}.'li1nlrical "form having an in- .side diameter substantiall equal to the outside diameter of the conduit undergoing: repair and having resilient walls of comparatively great rigidity extending through an arc of more than 180 said repair elemci'it being: adapted to be snapped over the outer surface (it the conduit to be repaired and to remain in plane by its inherent resilience.

2. A fibrous repair element for use in l't. pairing cylindrical conduits made of like fibrous material, said element comprising a conduit section having a wall of comparatively great rigidity Which in cross section forms an arc of more than 180, the longitudinal edges of said element being capable of being; sprung apart a sufficient distance to permit said edges to be snapped over the fibrous conduit to be repaired without said element being permanently deformed 0r cracked, said element having sufficient inherent resilience to remain in conduit embracing position. 10

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

HOWARD PARKER. 

